Gelato Fix

I completely forgot to share wit you the very good gelato we found in Toronto a while back. This was the day we went to Stockyards for our late afternoon dinner (and Matt discovered a new love - the green chile cheesburger) and were looking for a sweet bite for dessert. We walked the kilometre or so to get to the shop (so we could feel better about all the fat and cholesterol we just ingested at dinner), and were surprised to find it quite an authentic gelateria. Soccer was on the TV with a number of Italians watching and cheering along, and menus and flavours were written in Italian.

While the selection of gelato to choose from was limited, there were still some great flavours to enjoy at Novecentro. I opted for the strawberry, while Matt enjoyed the chocolate stracciatella, a combo of vanilla ice cream with chocolate chunks. They came served in a chilled glass bowl with a little cookie straw – nice presentation. We enjoyed the dessert just as much as the atmosphere, but when it came time to pay the bill, we realized we broke our cardinal rule as a tourist. We learned quickly in Italy that it’s much cheaper to get your gelato and coffee to go, as there is a fixed price and they can’t charge you a service fee. We didn’t think this applied back home in Canada! But sure enough, enjoying our gelato sitting down cost us at least an extra $2-3 each. 

We’ve been on a bit of a gelato hiatus since that trip back in October; perhaps it’s the looming winter cold. I’m sure once the warm weather appears again (or Matt gets a hankering for some cold gelato), we’ll be back on the hunt to find more great gelato shops in the area.

Recipe: Carrot Oatmeal Muffins

For a quick and easy weekday breakfast at our house, I like to try and bake up a batch of muffins, usually on the weekend. I freeze them to keep them fresh, and then we just lift out 2 for the next morning. I’ve done this for Matt in the past with corn bread muffins, but now that we’re both working, we go through the batch twice as fast! To change it up a bit, I saw a great recipe for a healthy and hearty muffin that even had vegetables in it.

It was Chef at Home who first baked up these carrot and oatmeal muffins, and, since he hasn’t let me down yet, I was excited to give them a try. I have always been a fan of carrot cake, but more so for the delicious and wonderful cream cheese icing, but I was willing to give these muffins a shot, too. I’ve baked these up twice now, making about 10 large muffins each time (perfect for the week at work). They freeze nicely, are moist and hearty, and are a very nice breakfast on the go. For a variation, try adding raisins or nuts, and also feel free to leave out the oil and instead replace it with more yogurt. I found we didn't even notice the difference.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups flour
1 cup oatmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 1/2 cups yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup grated carrots (about 3)


DIRECTIONS

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees.

SIFT together flour, oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.

MIX eggs, oil, yogurt and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Stir in carrots and then dry ingredients.

SPOON into large or regular sized muffin cups. Bake for 30-45 minutes (depending on size of muffins).

Recipe: The Ultimate Meatball

Matt came across a recipe for The Ultimate Meatball in one of his men's magazine a while back, so we thought we'd give it a try. The occasion? My parents were coming for dinner, and I was making spaghetti and meatballs, and everything was from scratch.

I did a bit of prep work ahead of time (so I wouldn't spend the entire time in the kitchen when parents arrived) and decided to make my pasta a couple days early and let it air dry. I had never done this before, so I was actually a little nervous about how the pasta would hold up when I cooked it. And this was also a new recipe for pasta, substituting semolina flour for the usual all-purpose flour. But I was finally able to get my pasta attachment for my KitchenAid to work this time (prior attempts my dough had been too moist), so my spaghetti actually looked like spaghetti...at least before cooking. My fear came true when the moment of truth came to cook the pasta, and my lovely long spaghetti strands crumbled and turned into bite size noodles. Not the end of the world, since the taste was still very good. But I think next time I'll skip the drying step and go right from fresh to boiling water.

The meatballs, on the other hand, were probably the star of the show. The magazine was not wrong - they really are the ultimate meatball! Well, with cheese and proscuito in them, it's hard NOT to like them. They were easy to mix up and shape, and the batch made a substantial number, so we had plenty of extras to freeze for another night (I'm all about the leftovers now that I'm working - a post for another day). Paired with fresh tomato sauce (just roasted tomatoes and onions and pureed with a touch of salt and pepper to taste), and I'd say a very nice meal indeed.

INGREDIENTS

2 lb ground beef chuck
1/4 cup finely chopped prosciutto
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 to 1 1/2 tsp hot red-pepper flakes
1 tablespoon ground fennel seed
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup fresh or boxed bread crumbs
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
A splash of olive oil


DIRECTIONS

PREHEAT oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, gently mix all the ingredients with your hands until thoroughly combined. Roll the mixture into tight golf-ball-size spheres, about 2 tablespoons each. Lightly oil a shallow baking pan or an ovenproof skillet, add the meatballs, and roast without turning until just cooked through, about 15 minutes.

This recipe is a keeper for sure!

Recipe: Buttermilk Biscuits

To use up some of the left over buttermilk I had from making the oven-baked onion rings, I found this recipe for drop biscuits -the perfect compliment to our Sunday night bowl of chili. They were fairly easy to make, and using the buttermilk added a very different flavour to just the usual flour and milk biscuits. 

INGREDIENTS

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1 cup buttermilk (cold)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly (about 5 minutes), plus 2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing biscuits

DIRECTIONS

PREHEAT oven to 475 degrees. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Combine buttermilk and 8 tablespoons melted butter in medium bowl, stirring until butter forms small clumps.

ADD buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated and batter pulls away from sides of bowl. Using greased 1/4-cup dry measure, scoop level amount of batter and drop onto parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet (biscuits should measure about 2 1/4 inches in diameter and 1 1/4 inches high). Repeat with remaining batter, spacing biscuits about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until tops are golden brown and crisp, 12 to 14 minutes.

BRUSH biscuit tops with remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 5 minutes before serving.

The batter made about 14-16 biscuits when I mistakenly doubled the buttermilk, and hence, had to double everything else, but they froze very well for another time. I also found a creative use for them when I decided to chop up 2-3 of them to make croutons for our salad the next night. I browned them with a little olive oil and salt in a skillet until they were crispy and crunchy and sprinkled on top. Yum!

A variation on a favourite

One of our quick and easy go-to meals for dinner some nights is just a simple pizza. We pick up the crust pre-made at the grocery store, along with a can of pizza sauce, and various other toppings. Mostly it's been spicy salami with goat cheese, but we decided to mix things up one night and try a BBQ Chicken style pizza.

For this pizza, I had made (and frozen) a batch of bbq sauce for some pulled pork, a recipe from my brother, and since it made a fairly large batch, I was looking for something else/new to try it on. I drizzled the bbq sauce over a chicken breast and baked in the oven four about 35 minutes. Once that was cooked and partially cooled, I shredded it into pieces, and sprinkled it over my pizza sauce (a mixture of pizza and bbq sauce), then added broccoli and feta cheese. I like to think this is our 'healthier' version of pizza, but I bet the added broccoli doesn't offset the layer of feta I sprinkled on top. But regardless, it's nice to have an alternative version of pizza to add to our list of week night dinners.

Come to think of it, it has been a while since we've had this one, so I think I need to put it into next week's meal plan...

Beer...the continuation

A while back, I posted about our beer making attempts at home in the condo (Taking after Percy). At that point, the beer was resting in the fridge, waiting to be consumed, but, months later, I keep forgetting to post an update after we drank them. But I was reminded the other day when I was sorting through some photos and found this one. 

I have a small correction to a statement I made in that post. I mentioned that my grandfather used to make his own beer in the basement (this is true) and that my nana had made him a needlepoint to remember his attempts (this is incorrect). Turns out, it was my very own talented mother who made the piece of art (talent inherited from her mother, and then passed down to me), and after reading that blog post, she surprised me by giving the needlepoint! It now has a place in our bookshelf, a nice memory of my grandfather.

So, the beer? Yup, it tasted like beer, and it wasn’t bad for a first attempt (and nothing exploded!). We found that the very first bottle we cracked open was very carbonated and almost had a sweetness to it. It seemed like the longer we let the beer rest, the better the flavour got (but the carbonation still seemed to linger). I still don’t know if my brother ever drank his two beers, but we finished off ours over the summer. Guess we’ll have to get a refill pack to start the process again… but I think we’ll leave that for next summer.

Fat Friday - The Stockyards Part II

It was bound to happen one of these days. Even though we have numerous restaurants to choose from downtown, for a recent Fat Friday, we found ourselves at a familiar spot – The Stockyards. On our first visit, we had hoped to enjoy their ribs, but, upon finding them sold out, settled for the fried chicken and pulled pork instead. We were not disappointed, however, and probably were even more anxious to try the ribs next time.

And so, after some time, a second visit, was in order, this time planning to arrive early to make sure we got a taste of what they’re known for – the ribs. I won’t dwell on those (as delicious as they were…); you’ve read all about that already (or can by clicking the link). But The Stockyards menu seems to keep getting better and better, and we keep getting different recommendations from people on what to try next, so it was time for another trip back.

We combined this trip with an outing to the Wychwood Barns, a restored TTC yard where artists have live/work studios, a farmers market throughout the year, and various other activities. It was a perfect fall day to explore the city, so we took advantage of our TTC passes to do some sightseeing. Unfortunately, the farmer’s market had wrapped up by the time we got there, but it was still very cool to see the renovations to turn a repair shop into a great outdoor/indoor venue for the community.

Ok, but on to the food! For this trip, we had heard about a very good Green Chile Cheeseburger that is often on the special board and an equally enticing Porchetta Sandwich. Turns out, the Burger is regularly on their special board, just not part of their menu, so we weren't disappointed when we arrived. We ordered one of both and eagerly waited for our name to be called. We arrived early that day to grab one of the limited spots in the restaurant, so at least we had a spot to dine. And how did they measure up?

Well, since Matt was at one point a resident of New Mexico, known for green chile, he ordered the burger, leaving the Porchetta for me (not that I minded…). His current favourite burger can be found at the Owl Bar in New Mexico, but that is certainly a long way to go when you’re hungry. Unlike the Owl Bar burger, which serves its beef patty with a slice of cheese and chopped green chile on top, The Stockyards served theirs with chopped green chile mixed into a creamy cheese sauce and then spread on the burger. I almost wish I had a picture of Matt eating it, because I think the Owl Bar has found its match. In fact, Matt was so pleased with the burger, that he complimented the owner/chef himself! I had a bite or two, and it was darn tasty, although perhaps a little too hot for me to handle. Matt had no problem with that, though. Guess growing up on the stuff helps a little.

The Porchetta sandwich that I enjoyed was very different from the burger. Not a lot of heat on this one, but lots of flavour. I defer to the menu to describe this sandwich: fennel and garlic scented pork loin, pork belly, and cracklings served on a baguette with garlic aioli. How can I describe the taste of this really, because it wasn't like pulled pork, and it wasn't like bacon, nor was it like ham...so try and think of something in between all of those things and that might be close to this sandwich. In any case, it was mighty good.

Upon leaving, we took a look at their menu again and realized we'd have to come back again to try something new, plus maybe have their ribs again. If others are like us and keep coming back for more, The Stockyards, I bet, will be around for a while.

Change is good!

There have been some changes in our little household over the last view months, and unfortunately, these changes seem to have adversely affected my blogging time. You may have noticed that posts have been somewhat sporadic and sparse (I probably think more about it than you…), but I’m back in the saddle, baby, and ready to blog again.

But a little more about these changes, for those who might not know. At the end of August, my company decided to do some restructuring, and in the process, felt I was no longer a necessary part of that team. Bummer, right? The adjustment to being unemployed, however, really wasn’t all the difficult, as my work-at-home job was currently in the slow season. So instead of getting up each morning and following the same routine (gym, shower, eat, answer emails), I now just did the same without having the pesky work part involved. Needless to say it was a complete shock to be let go, but honestly,  I didn't mind the extra free time I was about to have. 

Being unemployed meant I now had a LOT more free time on my hands, and the couch and crappy/mindless TV became my new caffeine addiction. I got a lot of knitting time in, plus a lot of napping, but there always seemed like a good reason not to look for a job. Sure, I was updating my resume and casually searching online for new opportunities, but I don't think I was quite in a hurry to get back into the workplace. Also, we had our honeymoon approaching in just a few months, so really, I thought I’d start looking much more seriously after that. But the sitting on the couch being lazy Beth also didn’t give me much motivation to blog…

I’m happy to say, just 3 months later, I am again gainfully employed with a great company in a new and exciting industry. This one is a full day of office work, the 9-6 type of gig, which, I’m not going to lie, is taking some getting used to, but I think . Before I had the luxury of finishing up work early (and starting late, not to mention almost the entire summer off) and could easily find time to prepare some delicious yet time consuming meals for dinner. This is probably my biggest challenge of the change – less time at home. But some planning ahead has proven to be a useful tool and our dinners thusfar have not suffered. I mean, sure, sometimes we don't eat until 7:30....

And it’s not that I have a lack of things to blog from my time off; I’ve been knitting, baking, and cooking up a storm! Now it’s just trying to find the time to tell you all about it, because I’m sure you all want to know about my buttermilk biscuits, apple-smoked pork chops, not to mention carrot oatmeal muffins! And that’s just a start….

Recipe: Oven-Baked Onion Rings

Do you want that deep fried, crunchy taste of onion rings without having to actually deep fry them? I have just the recipe for you, thanks to America's Test Kitchen. I picked up a copy of their Best-Ever Recipes and when I found this one, I knew I had to try it out. With their helpful tips, I was able to whip up some really good and crunchy onion rings in the oven with using only a little bit of vegetable oil. And the process is really not that difficult; slicing, dipping, breading, and baking is pretty much it. 

The trick to getting the crunch is in the secret coating you put on the onion rings: a fine blend of saltine crackers and kettle chips! The texture of both combined really creates a crunchy coating on the onion rings, and the flavour is great! For mine, I experimented a bit and bought Aged White Cheddar chips instead of the standard salted ones, and I think it added a really nice extra taste to them. Next time I might even opt for Sea Salt and Vinegar to give that extra little sourness to them. But with the flavoured chips out there, the possibilities are really left to your own imagination. 

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup flour

1 large egg

1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

30 saltines

1 bag kettle-cooked potato chips

2 large onions, cut in 1/2 inch thick rings

6 tbsp vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

PREHEAT oven to 450 degrees. Place 1/4 cup of flour in a shallow baking dish. Beat the egg and buttermilk together in a medium bowl. Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup flour, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper into the buttermilk mixture. Pulse the saltines and potato chips together in a food processor or blender until finely ground, then transfer to a separate shallow baking dish. 

WORKING one at a time, dredge each onion ring in the flour, shaking of excess. Dip in the buttermilk mixture, allowing excess to drip back into the bowl, then drop into the crumb coating, turning to coat evenly. Transfer to a large plate and repeat with remaining onion rings. 

POUR 3 tablespoons of oil onto each baking sheet (2 or 3 sheets, depending on number rings). Place in oven and heat until just smoking, about 8 minutes. Carefully tilt the heated sheets to coat evenly with oil, then arrange the rings in a single layer. Bake for 15 minutes, flipping the onion rings over halfway through. Transfer ring to paper towel-lined plates to drain briefly and serve immediately. 

NOTE: the onion rings can be breaded in advance and refrigerated up to 1 hour before baking. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.

I bet trying these with BBQ chips would be very tasty....